Maurice Qartal
Maurice Qartal is a renegade helmsman aboard The Thunderbird. Description Appearance Maurice is a human man standing about 5'09" and a lithe build. He has dark skin and dark hair that he wears in dreadlocks. His mustache and beard are styled in the Ozmitian fashion. He dresses very eclectically; most often found wearing studded leather armor underneath a long, white jacket from Casmaron and carries a number of weapons on him, mostly various knives, hatches, and a collapsible shortbow. He wears a necklace with a "lucky dinosaur tooth". Personality Maurice is respectful, charming, and always seems to be wearing a cocky grin. He's a damn fine helmsman and navigator, and he both enjoys and takes pride in his work. He's quick to a joke and a compliment, and he speaks with a thick Ubati accent. He's shown to be an extremely skilled airship pilot, able to perform difficult and delicate maneuvers even under great duress, and he can keep his cool in the worst of times. He faces most obstacles with a flippant sense of humor. Biography Background Maurice was born in Ubato, the "City at the Bottom of the World"; the largest city in the jungle continent of Casmaron. He lived as a bandit, a thief, and a mercenary. It's unknown when or why he traveled to Dharrenal, though he presumably did so during an airship run. Start of the Game Maurice was simply enjoying his night at the Skyward Bound tavern, located near the skyport in Ibrido, when he was approached by Chime and Two-Bit about a navigation job. Despite being only one of several interviewed for the position, Maurice was intrigued by the half-elf boy and the mystery of their voyage. In the end, he took the job for the adventure and a cut of any loot. Appearances Volume 1 * Chapter 1 - '"Two-Bit Crook" * '''Chapter 2 - '"To the Skies!" * 'Chapter 3 - '"The Imperial City" * 'Chapter 4 - '"Business Old and New" * 'Chapter 5 - '"Less Than Wonderful" * 'Chapter 6 - '"The Power of Love" * 'Chapter 7 - '"Mountain and Marsh" Relationships Chime Maurice is pretty cool with Chime. Not being one to take any sort of position of authority himself, Maurice respects the guts it takes to actually step up like he has. Beside that, Chime's a decent guy and fun to hang out with. The two share similar taste in alcohol, which also doesn't hurt. Gregg Maurice and Gregg are tight. The two are longtime airship professionals, and they bonded pretty quickly. He has a newfound respect for Gregg after the half-orc saved the ship from tipping over at one point when it looked like Maurice had die, and the pair wrestled the ship back right together. You don't just survive something like that without becoming friends. Irruit Beside finding Irruit and Illucien somewhat intriguing, he didn't pay either a lot of attention. However, when Maurice was thrown from the airship he was piloting by a '''hippogriff, Irruit swooped down and saved him after commandeering a hippogriff of her own. Since then, the have been pretty chill, and have even been hanging out a little thanks to their common friend in Gregg. Character Information Notable Items Moby Dick (novel), Silver Dagger Human Abilities * Bonus Feat * Extra Skill Points Scout Abilities * Skirmish (+1d6, +1 AC): 'Maurice relies on his mobility to deal punishing blows to his foes. When he moves at least 10 feet away from he started his turn, his attacks deal extra damage and he gains a small bonus to AC. He doesn't get this bonus if he's mounted, only applies on his turn, and only affects creatures that are susceptible to living creatures with a discernible anatomy. * '''Trapfinding: '''Maurice is able to use the Search and Disable Device skills to find and disarm both magical and nonmagical traps. * '''Battle Fortitude (+1): '''Maurice gains a +1 bonus to Fortitude and Initiative. * '''Uncanny Dodge ' * 'Fast Movement - '+10 ft. * '''Trackless Step: '''He can't be tracked in natural surroundings. * '''Bonus Feat: '''Combat Reflexes * '''Flawless Stride: '''Move through any terrain without slowing down or taking damage. Trivia * The surname Qartal is actually '''Maezari in origin, which is the local name given to a very colorful sort of game bird, similar to a quail. Such a surname is given to orphans in Maezar orphanages, as well as in Ubato (which follows many Maezar customs due to their history). * Maurice doesn't have a gender preference when it comes to romance; he's into anybody as long as they're interesting. * He turned down Chime's offer to be first mate, as he didn't want the responsibility. * When the crew voted on whether to save Illucien or go after the dagger at the beginning of Vol. 1, Chapter 5, Maurice voted to go after Illucien, seeing as he felt he owed it to Irruit for saving his life during the Hippogriff attack.